Jack McDade is a designer and developer residing comfortably in Upstate New York. Uncomfortable with tooting his own horn, he writes cautiously about himself and his so-called accomplishments in the third person. He has numerous hobbies and is involved in many things, some of which are interesting.…

I learned to ask questions when I was 20. My parents would tell you I’ve been asking questions long before then, since I was barely a year old. I have never accepted first, second, or third answers. I was the kind of kid who had to touch the hot stove before I understood what hot meant. (There are…

Over the weekend I came across a few different articles on a common theme: grumpiness. These were articles meant to offer guidance in those times—those inevitable times—when you’re in a bad mood and just can’t break out. While the articles had some helpful advice, they had this in common: They dealt…

On Wednesday night I got to go see Christopher Nolan’s new film, “Interstellar,” on IMAX in a 70MM film print. This is a big, big movie, but not in the way that we’ve come to think of big movies—there’s a tremendous gap between “Interstellar” and the blockbusters that dominate cinemas in the summer,…

I was getting ready to leave for a trip to Kenya a couple of years ago, when a church emailed and asked if Mercy House had any specific needs. I quickly responded and told them I wanted to give Maureen, our Kenyan Director, an iPhone, so we could communicate during (almost weekly) power outages. I…

Tim Cook and his new, gold iPad Air 2. I just got back from Cupertino, barring a stop at my local In N Out Burger for a post-event treat. Here’s a quick take on the aftermath. iPad Air 2 gets upgraded where it counts. The back of the iPad Air 2. Dog Bites Man! Apple product is thinner than product…

Over the weekend I made some time to catch up on some reading I’ve been looking forward to. I’m a few issues behind in my Offscreen magazine subscription, and I just recently received the first issue of Lagom magazine. These magazines are just fantastic. Offscreen has always focused primarily on the…

How Apple’s under-the-radar design genius, Jonathan Ive, has found the way to our hearts. I first catch sight of Jony Ive across the Apple campus, in a plain Dodger-blue T-shirt and white painter’s pants, in conversation, nodding. The head Apple designer, who brought you the iMac and the iPad and…

Who says you have to be busy before you can be a poor email correspondent? “You can do anything, but not everything.” — David Allen I am in the fortunate position that I don’t have to deal with email to do my job. In fact, the inverse of that is closer to the truth: the less time I spend doing email…

Personal Branding Personal Growth Let's stop pointing out the random habits of legends and acting like they are the keys to success. Life is a bit more complicated. 0 There are dozens of blog posts about Ben Franklin’s strict daily routine (and they all almost always include this picture ),…

Billy Corgan, the sonic architect behind one of the biggest bands to emerge from the alt-rock era, the Smashing Pumpkins, doesn’t romanticize the past anymore. “I ’m not sentimental. I can tell you that,” laughs Corgan. “Actually, I was much more sentimental back in the day, although I tried to hide…

Sometime this spring, during the first half of the final season of “Mad Men,” the popular pastime of watching the show — recapping episodes, tripping over spoilers, trading notes on the flawless production design, quibbling about historical details and debating big themes — segued into a parlor game…

When Steve Jobs was running Apple, he was known to call journalists to either pat them on the back for a recent article or, more often than not, explain how they got it wrong. I was on the receiving end of a few of those calls . But nothing shocked me more than something Mr. Jobs said to me in late…

This is a story about two roads — Should and Must. It’s a pep talk for anyone who’s chosen Should for far too long — months, years, maybe a lifetime — and feels like it’s about time they gave Must a shot There are two paths in life: Should and Must. We arrive at this crossroads over and over again.…

Just some quick reactions to Apple’s finally announced wearables product . As first sight, the look of the Apple Watch struck me as boxy and inelegant. Its vaguely space age-y curves seemed like the antithesis of what I personally favor in watch fashion, which is something more conservative. But I…

Many of us already feel as if we’re handcuffed to our computers. With its new smart watch, unveiled today in California, Apple is hoping to turn that figure of speech into a literal truth. Apple has a lot riding on the diminutive gadget. It’s the first major piece of hardware the company has rolled…

Dallas Northway Service Times Sundays: 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 5 p.m. Campus Page Flower Mound Service Times Sundays: 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. Campus Page Fort Worth Service Times Sundays: 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m. Campus Page Plano Service Times Sundays: 9 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m. Campus Page…

Get More Done Get More Done It's not just the number of hours we sit at a desk that determines the value we generate. Accomplishing truly great work also requires rest and renewal. By Tony Schwartz Dec 15, 2011 0 Two people of equal skill work in the same office. For the sake of comparison, let’s…

Images courtesy Warner Bros, Disney/Pixar, Disney, and Universal Pictures If you’ve gone to the movies recently, you may have felt a strangely familiar feeling: You’ve seen this movie before. Not this exact movie, but some of these exact story beats: the hero dressed down by his mentor in the first…

Do not read on unless you have seen the seventh episode of " Mad Men's " final season, "Waterloo," which also serves as the show's 2014 finale (it returns with seven episodes in 2015). We all know that when a "Mad Men" episode is heavy on business intrigue and office politics, it's usually a winner.…

Last month I received a cryptic e-mail inviting me to a private screening of a new Star Wars film edited by Topher Grace — which is funny because I had no idea there was a new Star Wars film in the works, with or without Grace’s involvement. I was told the screening was a secret private event…

Do you have "The List"? I’m sure you’re familiar with "The List" — that column of checkmark-less boxes lined up next to a set of qualitites that must characterize any man you date, let alone marry. Thousands of women have a List, but the question is: does it help or hinder your journey to finding…

It's refreshing to finally hear women talking about female masturbation. Given the social stigma around the topic, it can be difficult just to bring it up. Unfortunately, too often the conversation doesn't overcome the unhelpful stereotypes about the female sex drive…or lack thereof. Time and time…

“Peak iPad!” Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images We’ve reached peak iPad . Or, at least, that’s the current meme going around this week. Truth be told, it actually started last week, leading up to Apple’s earnings on Tuesday. A few folks read the tea leaves and guessed that Apple’s iPad sales…

Photo: AMC During season six of Mad Men last year, theories linking Megan Draper to the infamous Manson murders spread quickly after an episode in which Don’s wife wears a star T-shirt identical to one Sharon Tate was photographed in for a 1967 Esquire spread. Along with Megan’s short-lived…

Smooth sailing. Some fondly remembered game designs have aged poorly, but if I didn’t know that The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker came out 10 years ago on GameCube, it would be easy to believe that this HD re-release was a brand-new Wii U game. That’s how well this classic action adventure game…

I worked on the Genius Bar for almost two years, and the most difficult issue to solve was short iPhone battery life. It was extremely difficult to pinpoint the exact reason why someone had iPhone battery drain. I made it my mission to discover the specific reasons for iOS battery drainage. This…

Photograph by View Pictures/UIG via Getty In 1973, my high school, Acton-Boxborough Regional, in Acton, Massachusetts, moved to a sprawling brick building at the foot of a hill. Inspired by architectural trends of the preceding decade, the classrooms in one of its wings didn’t have doors. The rooms…

Impact Dark to Dawn: The Rise of Hope Among the Nations Dark to Dawn: The Rise of Hope Among the Nations A part of our series, Impact: Stories about thoughtful projects changing the world About Sparks Fly Stories & ideas from the front lines of freelancing More information Followers Elsewhere

A dirty secret about getting ahead: half of it is about what you do when you’re not at the office. Too many people believe it’s their company’s job to carve out a career and professional development plan for them. It can be awesome when a company does this — it’s one of the big goals of our company…